Edi student gets kicked out and decides to walk to SPAIN in order to find himself

After being kicked out of uni last semester, ex-second year History and Politics student Barney Rule decided to spend the rest of the year walking from the North of England all the way to Spain.

Barney ditched tutorials for Tennent's in his second semester, and in May only attended one of his history exams.

In the said exam, Barney – who had to stay in the examination hall for the required 15 minutes before being allowed to leave – spent his time writing a short romance story about a girl in Tuscany. Once the 15 minutes were up, he closed his paper and returned to the comfort of the pub. It was only a short while after that he realised his time at uni had come to an end.

After a few weeks of coming to terms with the ordeal, he began to take it in his stride and decided to plan the next chapter of his life.

Barney told The Edinburgh Tab that all sorts of things were in the air, including culinary school – an ode to his all time hero, chef Anthony Bourdain – and going to London to pursue his acting career. He had previously showcased his talent in a number of Edinburgh theatre productions.

Rule as Gabriel York in Bedlam's production of 'When the Rain Stops Falling'

In the end, Barney decided he wanted to discover himself in true 'gap yah' fashion but with an eco-conscious twist. He was going to 'find himself' on a walk to Spain; writing his tales along the way in the hope of them one day becoming a bestseller.

When asked why he chose to do this, Barney told The Edinburgh Tab: "I didn't have anything better to do. I mean that seriously. Things clearly weren't working out for me in Edinburgh, as lovely as the place is, and I've never felt worse for a walk."

Barney decided to start his journey from his hometown of Chester, 1,018 miles away from the Northern Spanish town of Donostia-San Sebastian.

After accidentally smashing his dad's window the night before – a promising start – Barney made his merry way on the 7th September, equipped with a tent, a backpack, a loaf of bread, two tins of sardines and four cans of Red Stripe, in true Jack Kerouac fashion.

Describing what his parents thought of his decision, Barney said: "Broadly speaking, I think mum and dad are alright. They take the view there's nothing they can do, I think. I cocked up the last thing, so I may as well have a go at this."

He always finds a pub, wherever he goes

In terms of his adventures and the people he has so far met along the way, Barney has primarily spent time with farmers who have been making him Sunday roasts and letting him "kip in their fields".

Barney explains: "I'd been limping through the Shropshire hills all day, and was naturally knackered, so I knock on some farm house door hoping to pitch the tent.

"The bloke who answers the door, clearly somewhere in his late hundreds and mental, points to a field over the horizon. I pitch up there, happy as you like, have a bit of bread and jam on a grassy bank and fall asleep a happy man.

"The cows woke me up about 10am, chewing on my gye lines. A fuck off herd of them had surrounded the thing, and weren't happy that I was there. This wouldn't have been a problem if they weren't all ravenously horny because the bull was in the field and it was breeding season.

"I try shooing them off as I pack up, cramping myself, which only causes them to buck and, ultimately, chase me out of the field in the middle of the night."

Living a life of luxury

Following cow-gate, Barney has spent the month of September conquering England. He walked 202.7 miles from Chester, past the Shropshire Hills, through the Wye Valley, the River Severn, Bath and all the way down to Bournemouth, where his dad even drove down to meet him for a quick pint before he caught his ferry to France. Unfortunately, swimming the channel was one step too far.

Since arriving in the Normandy late September, Barney has admittedly had a bit of a setback, discovering that the country is "enormous and rainy". He has, at times, had to succumb to occasional bouts of hitchhiking on his way to Nantes.

It's all very Hugh Grant in Barney's life

When asked about if he was walking for any environmental purpose, Barney said: "No, I just quite like a walk". He is, however, aware of the benefits of his largely vehicle-free trek.

Barney hopes to reach Spain by the time December comes around, after which he plans to return home for Christmas.

We asked Barney about his plans following the trek, to which he said he has already met a Parisian musician who's going to take him to the capital so he can really break his writing.

Barney hopes his tale will be one of hope and inspiration. He wants to spread the message that if you have found yourself kicked or dropped out of uni, you are not to panic. There are adventures waiting for you out there that are far more exciting than your 9am tutorials.